Angelini Osteria

05/25/2008 Posted by SangriaLover

The appetizers and salads were delicious, but the rest of the meal was wholly disappointing. The caprese had very fresh and flavorful mozzarella, but that is the last positive thing I can say. I had the rib eye and it was way too fatty, and lacked flavor. My husband had the T-bone and found it just to be mediocre. Sadly, this restaurant is just plain and a bit boring. We were very disappointed as we had heard the food was so delicious.

Pros: good service -- but not so good that it makes up for the blah food

Cons: boring, mediocre food

05/15/2008 Posted by StephKudus

Decided to try this place out since it is so highly acclaimed. Service is great, tables were way too close together, I could hear the couple's conversation next to me! Appetizers were OVERSIZED. Bread basket had an array of breads. I had the Oxtail, it was good but not great, could have been more tender. My Sister had something else which I don't remember, I reckon it was not that good. I have definitely had better italian food at many other places, I was rather disappointed. Rather extensive menu though!

Pros: Decent, OVERSIZED portions

Cons: tables were too close, loud loud loud

03/19/2008 Posted by chudjr

The food is excellent, but most of the tables for two are so narrow and almost touching the other table that you really have no privacy at all. The place is jammed with people and is loud. This is not the place to go if you want a quiet atmosphere. I had the Dover sole. It was an excellent piece of fish, but I wish it was seasoned a bit more. The scallop appertizer was very good. The portions are not gigantic. We went to Grace across the street and split an entree and dessert. It was nice and peaceful at Grace compared to Angelini Osteria.

Pros: Good food.

Cons: Loud and somewhat claustrophobic.

09/26/2007 Posted by unshakablematt

The place is always busy so make a reservation. We were seated after about 10 minutes, not bad for how busy it was. The place is small and the tables crowded together--good thing our 'neighbors' were nice folks because you are so close it's almost impossible not to talk to them. I ordered steak, it came too rare, sent it back and the server was very, very gracious about their mistake. The new steak was excellent. My wife ordered pasta and it was good too. The prices are reasonable. I apologize for a lack of details, but suffice to say that their food is great, and I will be returning soon.

Pros: Food, Prices, Service

Cons: Cramped and Loud

05/09/2007 Posted by m0toko

I didn't stick around to get served. I heard this place had great authentic Italian, made a reservation, as the hostess suggested "on the patio," and arrived to find out that "the patio" is actually a table behind some potted trees in front of the restaurant with a lovely view of the traffic on Beverly. Right. Though the place wasn't anywhere near crowded yet (and there are many, many tables packed into it's tight space) I was told that it wouldn't be possible to accomodate my party anywhere else that night, so we took our business elsewhere.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/01/2007 Posted by bertelski

We had heard lots of good things about this place and decided to go for my fiancee's birthday. We were seated promptly, but our overall impression can be summed up in one word: underwhelmed. Throughout the eening we were served by no less than 4 people, including the owner/manager. This made it seem very impersonal and none of them really made us feel welcome. The food was good (nothing to write home about, though). I had the seafood risotto which was flavorful and my fiancee had the pappardelle with lamb ragu which was very dry. The "notable wine list" was actually pretty meagre. The tables are also very close together which is great if you want to hear all about your neighbor's Aunty Mildred's cat and their vacation in North Dakota. Not so good for a romantic meal. Then our server mixed up our bill and credit card with the table next to ours and the valet took ages to bring our car back. Not the best Italian in LA by a long chalk (when you consider a meal out is more than just the food). Give us Amalfi on La Brea any day of the week.

Pros: Prompt (aka quick) service

Cons: Valet Parking took for ever

01/19/2007 Posted by fnsa

We arrived punctually on a Wednesday night. The place was packed, but we were seated immediately. The atmosphere is warm, friendly, definitely anti-snobby. The menu could be described as Florentine and FABULOUS. Incredibly interesting Italian wine selection, they even had Cervaro Della Sala, Jermann Tunina at decent prices. And the food..aaah...I could eat there every day! We had lobster salad, seafood risotto, perfectly cooked. Seafood linguine. The bread was very good. The olive oil must have been Sicilian, because it sure packed a peppery punx (can't use proper spelling, according to Citysearch's bizarre auto-editor!). Dessert was modest, not overblown and very, very good - Torta di Nonna, Chocolate timbale with Hazelnut Ice Cream. I almost don't want to write a review because it just calls attention to their success and then it becomes harder to get a reservation. But they deserve it. Gino Angelini, it's a good thing you're here and not in Italy. Los Angeles needs YOU!

12/13/2006 Posted by foodbuff5

Ok - so first off, it's really hard to get a reservation there and chances are, you will be waiting past your reserved time. BUT... This is probably one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles and is therefore worth any waiting hastles. Their daily selections and the specials are to die for (try the lobster salad with pomagranites and pears). Their regular menu and the wine list is relatively small but is top notch in quality. The knowledgeble waiters do a great job recommeding the wines that pair well with the food. DELIZIOSO!

Pros: Food, staff, ambiance

Cons: reservations

11/20/2006 Posted by girliku

i went in a party of three on sunday night at 9. we had reservations and that was lucky because the restaurant was still packed! the service was friendly and the atmosphere excellent... but the food was incredibly salty. and that's not even to say that it wasn't very good, despite the salt that had us gulping water in pitchers. i just couldn't believe the heavy hand on a tagliolini pasta, a seafood risotto and the lamb chops. so we just gulped away and ate our almost-excellent food. i will go back to see if the saltiness was a fluke. or maybe i need to put in a note to the chef next time...

Pros: service, value, not too salted food

Cons: too salted food

09/09/2006 Posted by bgkcasting

My brother and Dr. Tom (those of you in L.A., everyone knows Dr. Tom), decide to try the tasting menu - It was insane - wound up being 11 courses and we ate every single bite - start with champagne and a taste of tuna. A delicious italian style thin crust pizza followed. Tiny ravioli stuffed with figs (yes, figs) was a blend I just couldn't believe. Pasta with a genuine bolognese sauce blew my mind. We were stuffed, then the waiter says "and now for the main course" (are you kidding?), bacon wrapped veal that melted in our mouths. Just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, a cheese plate followed by desert. We topped this with a 2001 Massetto and it was an absolutely perfect night - Thank you Gino!

Pros: Phenomenal food

Cons: A bit noisy, but that's it!